Comments on: International Breaks - Who Really Gets The Benefits? http://stateofthegame.co.uk/2006/09/05/international-breaks-who-really-gets-the-benefits/ Football News, Views, Articles and Discussion Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:46:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Kieran http://stateofthegame.co.uk/2006/09/05/international-breaks-who-really-gets-the-benefits/#comment-6821 Kieran Tue, 05 Sep 2006 11:43:55 +0000 http://stateofthegame.co.uk/2006/09/05/international-breaks-who-really-gets-the-benefits/#comment-6821 Yet again it seems like SkyPrem are to blame for all the worlds footballing woes! I don't see international breaks as a problem. It gives club squads time to regroup and catch breath and unless you're Cornish, fans can still follow their respective national team. However, even if cricket may not be a good comparison, how about Rugby, where too the season continues regardless of international tests and teams such as Leicester Tigers have been decimated during these periods. There are also a number of international stars playing in the Premiership, yet they still manage to play on. Yet again it seems like SkyPrem are to blame for all the worlds footballing woes!

I don’t see international breaks as a problem. It gives club squads time to regroup and catch breath and unless you’re Cornish, fans can still follow their respective national team.

However, even if cricket may not be a good comparison, how about Rugby, where too the season continues regardless of international tests and teams such as Leicester Tigers have been decimated during these periods. There are also a number of international stars playing in the Premiership, yet they still manage to play on.

]]> By: JBE http://stateofthegame.co.uk/2006/09/05/international-breaks-who-really-gets-the-benefits/#comment-6820 JBE Tue, 05 Sep 2006 11:10:49 +0000 http://stateofthegame.co.uk/2006/09/05/international-breaks-who-really-gets-the-benefits/#comment-6820 The cricket analogy is a poor one. Since the advent of central contracts, Test stars will play, at best two or three games per SEASON for their county. The ECB can demand that they play, or not play, in a specific match for reasons of fitness or form, and most invidiously, players can be called into a squad at the drop of a hat and then discarded without playing and still not be able to play in their county's fixture. If you're a county member (= season-ticket holder), your chances of seeing the test stars your county has are slim to none. The overseas player issue is of course an EU thing. The liberalisation of the labour markets has made it impossible for sensible limits to be placed on intra-European transfers: and any efforts UEFA make to imposing a limit look doomed. Since fewer cricketers come from the EU, it's less of a barrier to imposing a limit on the number of overseas players. Of course, the other reason why SkyPrem are so reluctant to adderss the issue is that an awful lot of their marketing is based around'the best league in the world' idea - the place where you can see all the top international stars. Limits on overseas players would strike at the heart of that. The cricket analogy is a poor one. Since the advent of central contracts, Test stars will play, at best two or three games per SEASON for their county. The ECB can demand that they play, or not play, in a specific match for reasons of fitness or form, and most invidiously, players can be called into a squad at the drop of a hat and then discarded without playing and still not be able to play in their county’s fixture. If you’re a county member (= season-ticket holder), your chances of seeing the test stars your county has are slim to none.

The overseas player issue is of course an EU thing. The liberalisation of the labour markets has made it impossible for sensible limits to be placed on intra-European transfers: and any efforts UEFA make to imposing a limit look doomed. Since fewer cricketers come from the EU, it’s less of a barrier to imposing a limit on the number of overseas players. Of course, the other reason why SkyPrem are so reluctant to adderss the issue is that an awful lot of their marketing is based around’the best league in the world’ idea - the place where you can see all the top international stars. Limits on overseas players would strike at the heart of that.

]]>